D 570 
.8 

.S4 P4 
1917a 
Copy 1 



a Congress, ) HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, j Report 

ii Session. \ | No. 37. 



SEIZITRE OF THE GERMAN INTERNED SHIPS. 



May 1, 1917. — Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the 
\ Union and ordered to be printed. 



Mr. Alexander, from the .Committee on the Merchant Marine and 
•Fisheries, suhmitted the following 

REPORT. 



I [To accompany H. J. Res. 62.] 

The Committee on the Merchant Marine and Fisheries, to whom 
was referred the resolution (H. J. Res. 62) authorizing the President 
to take over for the United States the possession and title of vessels 
of any subject or citizen of any nation with which the United States 
may be at war, arid for other purposes, having considered the reso- 
lution, report the same to the House with certain amendments, 
with the recommendation that it do pass. 

Amend by striking out all the text after the enacting clause and 
inserting the following: 

That the President be, and he is hereby, authorized to take over to the United 
States the immediate possession and title of any vessel within the jurisdiction thereof, 
including the Canal Zone and all territories and insular possessions of the United 
States except the American Virgin Islands, which at the time of coming into such 
jiu-isdiction was owned in whole or in part by any corporation, citizen, or subject of 
any nation with which the United States may be at war when such vessel shall be 
taken, or was flying the flag of or was under register of any such nation or any po- 
litical subdivision or municipality thereof; and, through the United States Shipping 
Board, or any department or agency of the Government, to operate, lease, charter, 
and equip such vessel in any service of the United States, or in any commerce, for- 
eign or coastwise. 

Sec. 2. That the Secretary of the Navy be, and he is hereby, authorized and directed 
to appoint, subject to the approval of the President, a board of survey, whose duty- 
it shall be to ascertain the actual value of the vessel, its equipment, appurtenances, 
and all property contained therein, at the time of its taking, and to make a written 
report of their findings to the Secretary of the Navy, who sliall preserve such report 
with the records of Ms department. These findings shall be considered as com- 
petent evidence in all proceedings on any claim for compensation. 

Amend the title to read as follows : 

Joint resolution authorizing the President to take over for the United States the 
immediate possession and title of any vessel within its jm-isdiction, which at the time 
of coming therein was owned in whole or in part by any corporation, citizen, or sub- 
ject of any nation with which the United States may be at war, or was under register 
of any such nation, and for other purposes. 



SEIZURE OF THE GERMAlSr INTERNED SHIPS. 



^%'' 
^^M 



The purpose of this resolution as amended is to authorize the Presi-/'^)7A^ 
dent to take over to the United States the possession and title of any 
vessel within the jurisdiction thereof, including the Canal Zone and 
the insular possessions of the United States, except the American 
Virgin Islands, which at the time of coming into such jurisdiction 
was owned in whole or in part by any corporation or citizen or sub- 
ject of any nation with which the United States may be at war when 
such vessel shall be taken, or was flying the flag of or was under reg- 
ister of any such nation, or any political subdivision or municipality 
thereof. 

The resolution further provides that such vessels may be oper- 
ated, leased or chartered, and equij^ped in any service of the United 
States in any commerce, foreign or coastwise, thi'ough the United 
States Shipping Board, or any other department or agency of the 
Government. 

The resolution further provides that the Secretary of the Navy 
shall appoint, with the approval of the President, a board of survey 
to ascertain the value of the vessels, their equipment, appurtenances, 
and property contained therein at the time of taking, and report their 
findings to the Secretary of the Navy; and that sucYi findings shall be 
competent evidence in all proceedings on claims for compensation, etc. 

This resolution is properly regarded an emergency measure, its 
purpose being to authorize the President at once to take over the , 

possession and title of the German vessels interned in ports of the i 

United States and our insular possessions at and since the beginning 
of the war in Europe. 

At the time the vessels were interned in our ports our status was 
that of a neutral nation. We are now involved in the war with 
Germany, and under our treaties with Germany and the rules of 
international law have the right to take over these vessels in the 
manner proposed in this resolution. 

The need is urgent that we should do so at once, in order that these 
vessels may be employed in our overseas commerce and especially to 
supply our allies with foodstuff's and munitions of war. 

The report of the committee is unanimous and they indulge the 
hope that this resolution may be enacted into law without delay. 

The following statement prepared by the Department of Com- 
merce, Bureau of Navigation, shows German and Austrian vessels in 
the ports of the United States and its possessions: 



Department of Commerce, 

Bureau of Navigation, 
^Yashmglon, May 8, 1915, 



GERMAN AND AUSTRIAN VESSELS IN PORTS OF THE UNITED STATES. 
[Asterisk (*) designates Austrian vessels; all others are German.) 



Name. 



Vaterland 

George Washington.. . 

Amerika 

Kronprinzessin Cecilio 
Kaiser Wilhelin II 



Gross 
tons. 



54,282 
25,.'i70 
22,022 
19,50:? 
19,361 



Net 
tons. 



23,548 
15,379 
13,637 
6,584 
6,353 



Pas- 
sen- 
gers. 



2,264 
2,755 
2,567 
1,576 
1,593 



Crew 



923 
525 
541 
650 
655 



Speed. 



Knots. 
24 
19 

m 

23i 
23i 



New York, N.Y. 
do 

Boston, Mass 

do 

New York, N.Y. 



Owner. 



Ham burg- .\merican. 
North (ierman Lloyd. 
Ham burg- .\mericah. 
North German TJoyd. 
Do. 



D. of D. 
MAY t5 ' 1917 



SEIZURE OF THE GERMAN INTERNED SHIPS. 3 

GERMAN AND AUSTRIAN VESSELS IN PORTS OF THE UNITED STATES— Continued. 



Name. 



Gross 
tons. 



Net 
tons. 



Pas- 
sen- 
gers. 



Crew. 



Speed. 



At- 



Owner. 



Pres.ident Lincoln 

President Grant 

Cincinnati 

Pennsylvania , 

Grosser Kurfurst 

Bulgaria 

Barbarossa 

Prinzess Irene 

Friedrich der Grosse 

Hamburg 

Rhein 

Neckar 

Konig Wilhelm II , 

Bohemia , 

*Marthia Washington . . . 

Kohl 

*Dora 

Rhaetia 

*Erny 

Prinz Oskar 

Wittekind 

Ockenfels 

Armenia 

Arcadia 

Adamsturm 

Pisa 

*Himalaia 

*Morawitz 

WUlehad 

Prinz Joachim 

Serapis 

*Ida 

Prinz Eitel Friedrich . . 

*Franconia 

AJlemannia 

Harburg 

Saxonia 

*Clare 

Nassovia 

*Tercsa 

♦Budapest 

*Oampania 

Hohenfelde 

Portonia. 

Maia .• 

Clara Mennig 

*Arma 

Neptun 

Pommern 

C.J. D. Ahlers 

Prinz Waldemar 

Setos 

Holsatia 

Loeksun 

Loong Moon 

Staatssekretar Kraetke 
Governeur Jaeschke . . . 

*Lucia 

Rudolph Blumbcrg 

Vogesen 

Frieda Leonhardt 

*Borneo 

Odenwald 

69 vessels 

Kronprinz Wilhelm 

Prinz Eitel Friedrich... 



18, 16S 

18,072 

16,339 

13,333 

13, 102 

11.440 

10, 984 

10, 893 

10, 771 

10,531 

10, 058 

9,835 

9,410 

8.414 

8,312 

7,409 

7,037 

6,600 

6,515 

6,026 

5,640 

5,621 

5,464 

5,454 

5,000 

4,967 

4,948 

4,795 

4,761 

4,760 

4,756 

4,730 

4,650 

4,637 

4,630 

4,472 

4,424 

3,932 

3,902 

3,769 

3,651 

3, .551 

2,974 

2,778 

2, 555 
1,685 
1,.575 
197 
6,557 
7,490 
3,227 
4, 730 
5,649 
1,657 
1,971 
2,009 
1,738 
6,744 
1, 769 

3,716 
2,822 

3,621 



11,17] 
11,112 
9, 733 
8,527 
7,881 
7,218 
6,463 
6,443 
6,585 
6,420 
6, 398 
0,200 
5, 764 
5, 248 
5,379 
4,666 
4,536 
4,141 
4,171 
3,777 
3,607 
3,452 
3,386 
3,412 
3,159 
3,148 
3,152 
3,106 
3,012 
2,981 
3,068 
3,093 
2,921 
3,019 
2,915 
2,837 
2,782 
2,541 
2,475 
2,381 
2,321 
2,267 
1,887 

1,744 



2,357 
1,818 

2,337 



2,098 



2.751 
3,303 
2,449 
2.671 
1,965 



1,838 
1,930 
1,827 
1,382 
2,080 
1,920 



1,101 
656 



1,045 
1,265 



978 



1,148 

i,'67i' 



530,835 



308,503 



14,908 
8,797 



5,162 
4,812 



305 
292 
370 
222 
260 



Knots. 

m 

14i 
15* 
13J 
15| 



215 
235 
215 
232 
155 
170 
172 



250 
105 



104 
90 
69 
44 
44 
66 
42 



42, 135 



7,685 



535 

388 



14 

15J 

Hi 

16 

13 

14 

15i 

13 

17 

13 

12* 

13" 

13 

12 



12 



New York, N. Y 

....do 

Boston, Mass 

New York, N.Y. 

do 

Baltimore, Md. . 
New York, N.Y.I 

....do 

....do 

....do 

Baltimore, Md . . 

do ' 

New York, N.Y. 

do 

do 

Boston, Mass 

New York, N.Y. 

Philadelphia 

Boston, Mass 

Philadelphia 

Boston, Mass 

do 

New York, N.Y. 

Norfolk, Va 

New York, N.Y. 

do 

do 

Galveston, Tex.. 

Boston, Mass 

New York, N.Y. 
San Francisco . . . 
New York, N.Y. 

do 

Philadelphia 

New York, N.Y. 

do 

Seattle, Wash... 
New OrleanSjLa. 
New York, N.Y. 
New Orleans, La. 

Norfolk, Va 

Galveston, Tex.. 
Savannah, Ga. .. 

New York, N.Y. 



do 

do 

New Orleans, La. 
San Francisco. . . 

Honolulu 

Hilo 

Honolulu 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

do 

Pensacola 

do 



do 

Jacksonville. 

Tampa, Fla. 



San Juan, P. R. 



Ham burg- .Vmeriean. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 
North German Lloyd. 
Hamburg-American. 
North German Lloyd. 

Do. 

Do. 
Hamburg-American . 
North German Lloyd. 

Do. 
Hamburg-American. 

Do. 
Unione Austriaca. 
North German Lloyd. 
Unione Austriaca. 
Hamburg-American. 
Unione Austriaca. 
Hamburg-American. 
North German Lloyd. 
Hansa. 
Hamburg-American. 

Do. 
Hansa. 

Hamburg-American. 
D. Tripovich S. S. Co. 
Atlantica Sea Nav. Co. 
North German Lloyd. 
Hamburg-American. 
Kosmos Line. 
Unione Austriaca. 
Hamburg-American. 
D. Tripo\dch S. S. Co. 
Hamburg-American. 
Deutsche-Australische. 
Hambiu^g-American. 
Unione Austriaca. 
Hamburg-American . 
Unione Austriaca. 
Atlantica Sea Nav. Co. 
D. Tripovich S. S. Co. 
K i s s 1 e (fc G u n t h e.r 

MFLG. 
Dampschiffs Reed 

Horn Atk. 
Holm and Molzen. 
Otto Zelch. 
Unione ,\ustriaca. 
Joilet. 

North German Lloyd. 
Hansa. • 

North German Lloyd. 
Kosmos. 

Hamburg- American . 
North German Lloyd. 
Hambiu-g- A merican . 

Do. 

Do. 
Unione Austriaca. 
Leonhardt & Blum- 

befg. 
H. Vogemann. 
Leonhardt & Blum- 
berg. 
Soc. Anom. Ungherese 
di Armanento Ma- 
ritt. Orient. 
Hamburg - American 
Line. 



Norfolk, Va I North German Lloj'd. 

do I Do. 



SEIZURE OF THE GERMAN INTERNED SHIPS. 
GERMAN VESSELS IN PORTS OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 



Name. 



dross 
tons. 



Borneo i 2,168 

Darvel 1,308 

Marudu 1,514 

Princess Alice 10,981 

Tsintau 1,685 



499 
5,433 
6,161 
5,130 
1,243 
1,735 
3, 130 
4,594 
4,902 
1, 531 
1,925 
6, 579 
1,631 
2,028 
8,007 
4,765 
3,789 
5,586 



Wiegand 

Andalusia 

Bochum 

Camilla Rickmers. 
Carl Diederichsen. 

Clara Jebsen 

Coblenj; 

Elmshorn 

Esslingen 

Johanne 

Lyeemoon 

Mark 

Ponptong 

Rajah 

Sachsen 

Sambia 

Suevia 

Tubingen 



23 vessels 86,524 



Net 
tons. 



1,344 

899 

902 

6,629 

1,002 

292 
3,371 
3, .S37 
3,463 

774 
1,103 
1,869 
2,871 
3,067 

952 
1,238 
4,091 

997 
1,275 
5,088 
3,011 
2,381 
3,609 



53, 765 



Crew. 



47 
53 
49 
235 
42 

25 
50 



1,036 



Speed, 



Knots. 



At- 



Zamboaga. 

....do 

....do 

Cebu 

do 



do.. 

Manila . 
do.. 



.do 

.do 

.do 

.do 

.do 

.do 

.do 

-do 

.do 

.do 

.do 

.do 

.do 

.do 

.do 



Owner. 



North (lerman Llovd. 

Do. 

Do. 

Do. 
North German Llovd (.Vk. 

Ges.). 
Devitsche Sudseephosphat . 
Hamburg-American Line. 
Deutsch Austral. Drapfsch. 
Rickmers Reismuhlen Reed. 
M. Jebsen. 

Do. 
North German Lloyd. 
Deutsch Austral. Dmpfsch. 

Do. 
M. Jebsen. 

Hamburg-American Line. 
North German Llovd. 

Do. 

Do. 
Hamburg-American Line. 

Do. 

Do. 
North German Llovd. 



GERMAN VESSEL IN PORT OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDS. 



Elsass 6,591 



4,154 



12i 



Pago Pago. 



North German Lloyd. 



GERMAN VESSELS IN PORTS OF THE UNITED STATES— ADDITIONAL. 



Dalbek 

Steinbek 

2 vessels 

Previously stated: 
69 vessels 

Total 



2,723 
2,164 



4,887 
530, 835 



535,722 1313,109 



Portland, Oreg. . 
Winslow, Wash. 



Ivnohr & Burchard, New- 
foimdland. 
Do. 



SUMMARY. 



Number 
of vessels. 



Gross 
tons. 



Net tons. 



In United States ports 

In Philippine ports 

In Pacific Island ports 

Grand total 



535, 722 
86,524 
6,591 



313,109 
53,765 
4,154 



628,837 : 371,028 



SEIZURE OF THE GERMAN INTERNED SHIPS. 5 

GERMAN VSESELS IN PORTS OF THE UNITED STATES— SECOND ADDITIONAL. 



Name. 


Gross 
tons. 


Net 
tons. 


Pas- 
sen- 
gers. 


Crew. 


Speed. 


At— 


Owner. 


Liebenfels 


4,525 
4,497 

3,974 

4,494 

1,746 

1,468 

1,859 
3,109 
2,659 

7,524 

2,554 


2,830 

2,876 

2,298 

2,872 

1,643 

1,366 

1,789 
2,875 
2,542 

4,808 

1,546 


609 


56 
44 

40 

44 

23 

20 

26 
34 
31 

106 


Knots. 


Charleston, S.C. 
New York, N.Y. 

Southport, N.C. 

.... do 




Magdeburg 




Nicaria 


Co. 
Hamburg-Am e r i c a n 
Line. 


Kiel 


Indra (schooner) 

Matador (bark) 




NewYork,-N.Y. 
do 


Co. 
Wachsmuth & Krog- 

mann. 
Carl J. Klingenberg & 

Co. 

F. A. Vinnen & Co. 

G. J. H. Siemers & Co . 


Arnoldus Vinnen (ship). 
Kurt (bark) 




Astoria, Oreg — 
do 


Ottawa (bark) 


12i 


San Francisco... 

New Orleans, 

La. 
do 




Breslau 


von 1896. 
North German Lloyd. 

Argo S. S. Co. 


Andromeda 














Total 


38,409 


27,445 









SUMMARY. 





Number 
of vessels. 


Gross 
tons. 


Net tons. 


Elsewhere set down, less Prince August Wilhelm 


94 
11 


624,104 
38,409 


368,053 


Second addition 


37,445 








105 


662,513 


395,498 


Austrian 


14 
91 


67,817 
594,696 


43,678 


German 


351, 820 








105 


662,513 


395,498 



o 



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